China Central Bank Warns About Inflation Risks

While the entire ‘developed’ world is now openly engaged in destroying the balance sheet of its assorted central banks – the sole means to devalue local currencies, a liability, by accepting ever more toxic ‘assets’ as currency collateral - thereby pursuing strategies which until now were strictly relegated to the banana republic playbook, there are some countries who see what is coming over the horizon, and refuse to join the printing frenzy. One such place is China, for whom, as we have repeatedly shown the threat of a fast onset of inflation is far greater (3x more bank deposits as a % of GDP than in the US, means a soaring capital market as a result of inflation will benefit far less while a deposit exodus will cause hyperinflationary havoc in minutes) than any other developed world country. And with the inability to hide “non-core” CPI as a result of food and energy being such a greater portion of overall inflationary bean counting than in the US, it means that despite the demands of Tim Geithner for immediate more easing by China, the PBOC is now stuck waiting to import everyone else’s inflation: this includes the Fed, ECB, BOE, BOJ, Korea, Australia and all other bank engaged in adding liquidity, while its own hands are quite tied. Because recall that it was only last year that the NYT said that: “Inflation in China Poses Big Threat to Global Trade.” Now we are told that lack of inflation poses the same threat, when in reality what they mean is that with the world tapped out, one more source of marginal liquidity is needed. Judging by overnight comments from the PBOC’s head Zhou Xiaochuan that liquidity, suddenly so very needed to keep the game of musical chairs going, is not going to come from China just as we have warned for months on end.

From Reuters:

China’s central bank governor has warned that quantitative easing policies worldwide could cause inflationary risks, state news agency Xinhua said on Saturday.

The remarks by People’s Bank of China (PBOC) Governor Zhou Xiaochuan come even as analysts credit policy easing from G4 central banks – the U.S. Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank (ECB), the Bank of Japan and the Bank of England – in the third quarter of the year as underpinning business confidence.

Ironically, unlike before when the West benefited from Chinese easing during periods of stress such as in the Lehman aftermath, this time around it is China who is sowing the fruits of others’ relentless easing tactics. Only last night China reported that its trade surplus came well ahead of expectations, at $27.7 billion versus a consensus of $20.5 billion, with exports coming coming nearly double the expected 5.5%.

Read more at Zero Hedge. By Tyler Durden.

Photo Credit: johntrathome (Creative Commons)